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Home > Family > Skipping Vaccinations for Personal Reasons Gets More Difficult

Skipping Vaccinations for Personal Reasons Gets More Difficult

by Sarah Williams on June 27, 2014

Sarah Williams

About the Author

Sarah C.P. Williams is a freelance science writer based in Hawai'i who covers medicine, biology, and anything else that makes her go "wow!" for magazines, websites, and scientific journals worldwide. Her writing can be found at <a href="http://www.sarahcpwilliams.com/" target="_new">www.sarahcpwilliams.com</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahcpwilliams" target="_new">www.facebook.com/sarahcpwilliams</a>.

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Summary: A court in New York City has upheld a policy that allows public schools to keep unvaccinated kids out of the classroom when a vaccine-preventable illness is spreading, reportsthe New York Times. The ruling is part of a larger trend — among school districts and state governments — to discourage parents from skipping vaccinations for personal reasons. And it serves as a reminder of the importance of following your doctor's recommended vaccine program; doing otherwise doesn't just put your own children's health at risk, but endangers those around them — and could mean missed school days!

Do the Facebook rumor-mills, celebrity statements and constant articles on vaccinations make your head spin? You're not alone — the Internet is full of conflicting information on the best course of action for you and your children when it comes to vaccines. But among doctors and scientists, the evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is overwhelming. Now, law and policymakers are increasingly putting rules in place — throughout individual states or school districts — which help ensure that vaccines are keeping kids (and adults!) safe from preventable diseases.

Earlier this month, a federal district judge ruled that New York City public schools have the right to ban unvaccinated students from school during outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses. The plaintiffs in the case — three families with school-aged children — claimed that the policy violated their right to freedom of religion, since they'd claimed a vaccine exemption for religious purposes. But the judge in the case concluded that vaccines are a matter of public health and that "religious objectors are not constitutionally exempt from vaccinations." Even if an unvaccinated child doesn't show symptoms of a disease, they could have low levels of the virus in their body — enough to spread it to others.

Current laws on vaccinations vary by state — only two states (West Virginia and Mississippi) require all children enrolled in public schools to be fully vaccinated (with rare exemptions for medical reasons, of course). Other states allow different levels of exemptions based on parents' religious or personal beliefs about vaccines. A 2012 study of vaccine policies found that public schools in 20 states allow exemptions for reasons of personal belief. Of those, about a third make it somewhat difficult — notarized forms or letters of explanation are required. Nine states require only a parent's signature to enroll an unvaccinated child in public school.

In the past year, though, laws have begun to change. While none of the 31 bills introduced to state legislatures to expand vaccine exemptions ended up passing, three of the five bills (in Vermont, Washington, and California) that made it harder to get exemptions were enacted into law.

Stricter policies protect public health. There's a reason that courts and states legislatures are trying to enact stricter vaccine exemption policies — stricter policies lead to higher rates of vaccination, and high rates of vaccination mean smaller, more confined outbreaks of diseases like measles and whooping cough.

"When enough people are vaccinated at a local, community level, a disease won't affect a population, or won't spread very far," says Daniel Salmon, deputy director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

In the past year, rates of measles and whooping cough have been at their highest levels in decades, and the communities with the largest outbreaks are also those with low rates of vaccination. Vaccinating your child against these preventable illnesses, Salmon explains, doesn't just keep them from getting sick — it also prevents them from spreading disease to someone who is more vulnerable, whether that's a child who can't get vaccinated due to a vaccine allergy or a newborn who hadn't received her shots yet.

The plaintiffs in the New York ruling have already said they plan to file an appeal and have asked for a rehearing of the case. And if the same question comes up in other states, the outcome could be different. But even if the ruling stands, is banning unvaccinated kids from school enough to keep outbreaks under control?

"Most schools and states have the authority to keep kids out of school while there's an outbreak," says Salmon. "But it may not be enough if a child has already transmitted a disease before you exclude them, or if they're interacting with children outside of school." So not only putting policies in place but increasing overall rates of vaccination is key.

What this means to you. Salmon says the time to start learning about childhood vaccinations is before your baby is born — not only should expectant parents get vaccinated themselves, but they should start planning their newborn's vaccination schedule.

"Find a good pediatrician that you can have a conversation about vaccines with and meet with them before birth," Salmon says. By following the course of vaccination recommended by your health care provider, you'll ensure that your baby stays protected from disease, meets public school enrollment criteria and keeps your community a healthy place.